'The Cat Factor' in council planning decisions

[vole-woman]

Just picked this up off Twitter: Dormouse population halts housing plans - Telegraph

Ignoring the stupid and inflammatory tone of the reporting, it's a potentially exciting story for those of us who want to protect critically endangered mammals. I've seen how my local water vole populations struggle against cat predation when new housing estates are built nearby. I think it's great to see someone at last considering the cat impact when making planning decisions.

[Littlesparrow]

Interesting I haven't heard of councils doing this before. Apparently some Dormouse have been released into the Cheshire,countryside, i've never seen a wild one so i will be on the lookout now.

[The Woodman]

I wonder what Auberon Waugh would've made of that if he was still writing his column in the Telegraph?

Three cheers for Ron Goodman.

[shenk1]

Along similar lines - we were wondering today (as we saw a neighbours cat disappearing with another bird as we came in from work).......

What would the legal situation be if a cat killed and animal or bird if it had special protection like for instance the Dormouse? Would they be liable for prosecution?

(Probably started another cat debate but I did just wonder)

Cheers,shenk1

PS I think we do get water voles in the canal alongside the field behind our house so how would it affect them and would the possible threat of legal action make people keep their cats in

[brendaward]

I think that a cat comes into the same category as wild animals in law. If you kept a Kestrel and it preyed on a dormouse which is a protected species would you be responsible? I have a cat that I don't own. When it arrived on my doorstep I could not find it's owner. I'm allergic to cats but I feed and look after it as it had nowhere else to go. It kills birds which I hate but what do we do, have the cat put down? It too is a wild animal with the right too life.

Our council have just OK'd a development which will mean that a couple of acres of wildlife garden that bounds our wildlife garden, with unconfirmed dormice and field-mice in ground outside of the boundary. The builder has to pay the council £250,000 because there will be no public housing. Perhaps they can use some of that to buy a field and rehouse the wildlife that will go. I don't think they will! If the people in the houses bring more cats, my garden will no longer be a wild life habitat, it will become a killing field. Cats are not deterred by boundaries.